Youngstown, Ohio (An Ordered World)
Youngstown, Ohio (from An Ordered World).
The day I took this photo, it was hot and humid, despite the clouds that had threatened rain most of the morning. An almost stifling stillness hung all around, and the world seemed to move slightly slower than normal. And for myself, this was largely true; I had spent the last four weeks as the boys director for Laurel Lake Camp, with two more weeks still to go, and this day, my day off, was frozen in time compared to the breakneck pace I had been moving at just a few hours prior. That said, I did not mind this strange passing of time, as I was by the side of my partner, Malia, whom I had not seen since camp began. She had thought of almost everything for this meeting: finding the bed & breakfast in New Castle, PA, where we stayed the night, looking for places in Youngstown to explore on our day together, and researching food that I, as a vegetarian, could enjoy! The one thing we didn't plan for, however, was how hard it would be to say goodbye when it was time to leave. We had only just begun our relationship a few weeks prior to me leaving for camp, and we acutely felt the distance, even though we communicated day and night throughout that month. It felt good and right to be by her side again, laughing, talking, taking photos—having a perfect date with her. So, I was not upset at all when we decided, after spending time at Fellows Riverside Gardens during the day, to get some ice cream before she headed home to Indiana.
Youngstown, Ohio (B-side), the first photo I took in this parking lot.
The place we chose, Handel's, was a little ice cream shop in a rougher part of town, at least that's how it looked to me. As we parked and turned off the car, though, I was drawn to an overgrowth of flowers and leaves on the fence that bounded this parking lot in. In particular, the lush greens and bright pinks appealed to me, contrasting against the white cross-hatch fence, and I took a photo with the Fuji GW670II, my camera of choice that summer (and since). I am inclined to explore an area photographically when I find something of interest, and so I examined the whole parking lot now, taking a picture of the other end, where some yellow posts reflected in a puddle of water. That photo is alright, but the next sight compelled me further, with houses peeking over the leafy, overgrown fence, lending themselves to an easy, geometrically pleasing composition. This resulted in Youngstown, Ohio, one of my photos in An Ordered World. And it is a good illustration of my point with this work; although Malia is not in this photo, it carries the memory and beauty of that special day with her, along with being a solid piece of art itself. In my Ordered World, all my experiences come together and lift me up; whether I’m spending time with Malia or taking photos, both bring joy and fulfillment to my life! The images in this series, then, become the fabric of this vision, each representing a moment of contentment and peace. These feelings are what I strive for in my photography and in my day to day existence, and I feel blessed that I have been given the ability to capture this feeling, sometimes, in my photos.